Michael remained in the spot Mintha left him standing, watching the darkness for any sign she might return.

"She won't come back, we both know that."

He glanced over his shoulder at the angel standing just behind him. "You better have remained out of sight, if she saw you it would be very bad for the both of us."

"I just arrived," the angel replied.

Michael nodded, eyes returning forward. "I think it's time you made a dramatic return, I need to know what Aramintha is planning. I don't believe she's simply going to walk away."

"Yes, sir, I swear I'll get you whatever information I can divulge! You can count on me!"

He pivoted slowly to face the weasely little angel and smiled. "I think when you show up, you're going to need a very dramatic story in order to make Aramintha believe you simply haven't been hiding out in Heaven, she never did seem to completely trust you."

"Don't worry, sir, I'll think of something."

"Oh, I have a better idea, why don't you let me handle it." Before the angel could answer, he swung, the punch landed on the angel's jaw, snapping his head back and sending him sprawling to the ground, his lip split and bleeding. Michael crouched down beside him, looking thoughtful. "I don't believe that's quite enough to convince her."

By the time he was done, the angel was a bloody mess.

He dusted off his hands and smiled. "That will do. Now go."

"Ye ... yes, sir," the angel answered and pulled his broken, bleeding body from the ground, staggering a few steps before collapsing to his knees.

"You'd best hurry, wouldn't want them to pack up and leave before your miraculous arrival," Michael told him dryly, watching as the angel hauled himself to his feet and wobbled his way in the direction of the camp where the Winchesters and Aramintha were..

***

Aramintha glanced up, frowning when she heard a twig snap.

Dean came awake, gun in hand. "What was that?"

"A twig snapping. Probably an animal."

A man stumbled out of the trees and collapsed face down on the ground.

"This is why you wear an orange vest, don't want someone to think you're Bambi and shoot you," Mintha said, poking the body with the toe of her shoe.

Dean grabbed the man's shoulder and rolled the body over.

"Shit," Mintha cursed.

He looked up at her. "You know this guy?"

"Not guy, angel. His name is Linq and he's another member of my garrison. Not a well liked member either, we thought he ran and hid when Michael began killing everyone off. Obviously not the case."

Dean poked and prodded him. "Lots of cuts and bruising, broken arm, but it doesn't seem too bad."

Aramintha sighed, bent and placed her hand on his forehead, healing his injuries.

He sucked in a breath and sat up quickly, looking around. "Where am I?"

"Safe."

He looked up wide eyed at her. "Aramintha! Thank Father! Michael is free, he came after me, I managed to elude him for a bit but then he caught up to me. He wanted information about where you were."

"And?" she asked.

"I didn't tell him anything, I swear! I told him we split up when we came to Earth and we haven't spoken since."

"Did he believe you?"

"I don't think so. I managed to escape, though it wasn't easy. I needed to find you and warn you."

"Really and why would that be?" She asked, folding her arms over her chest.

He frowned. "Because he wants to kill you."

"That's odd, I would have thought he'd want me to come back to Heaven, you know and make him look good again."

Linq shrugged. "I don't know, he told me he wanted to see you dead."

Dean stood. "It doesn't matter, she's not going back to Heaven and we're not going to let Michael kill her."

"Uh, who are you?"

"Dean Winchester."

"Really, wow." He eyed Dean a moment. "I thought you'd be a lot taller."

"Whatever." He looked at Mintha. "Maybe we should suspend the werewolf hunt for now and head home."

She nodded. Noah definitely wasn't going to like the fact that Linq was back. Noah had always been certain Linq was working with Michael. It wasn't that she didn't think it as well, she just didn't want to believe he would betray them. After all, he'd followed them to Earth, if he was really that attached to Michael he could have remained behind in Heaven.

Dean released a shrill whistle. "Everyone up, pack your things, we're heading home."

Wyatt was the first out of his sleeping bag. "Yes!" He shook a fist in the air. "Take that death, I'm gonna live tonight!"

"Unless you trip on a rock and bash your skull on the way back to the car," Laurel told him in a casual voice as she began packing up her things.

Wyatt shrieked and tried to crawl back into his sleeping bag. "I don't wanna bash my head on a rock!"

Mintha scowled at Laurel. "That wasn't necessary."

"Nope, it was not, but it was really fun!"

"I should vaporize you, Nephilim."

She stuck her tongue out at Mintha. "Try it and you'll have to answer to Dean."

He glanced up. "What, I heard my name?"

"Apparently you are Laurel's knight in shining armor riding to her rescue."

He snorted. "I'm no one's knight. Let's move it people!" he yelled as he began marching in the direction of the Impala.

"We'll see you there," Mintha called out before she and Linq vanished.

They reappeared outside the bunker.

"This place looks like a dump," Linq whined.

"That's the point, keeps people out. Let's go."

They entered the bunker and she gave him a small tour. "Pick a room and get settled. I need to go find Noah and have a little talk with him."

"Sure and thanks, Mintha."

"For what?"

He gestured to his blood stained clothes. "For fixing me up."

"Sure, no problem. I'll talk to you later."

He waved as she strode off down the hallway.

***

Dean rounded the corner and stopped, staring down the corridor. Aramintha and Noah stood outside his room and they appeared to be having an argument of some sort.

He strode forward. "What are the two of you squabbling about?"

"Nothing," Mintha replied calmly.

Noah sent Mintha a glare before turning away to step back inside his room. He shut the door behind him without saying a word.

Mintha sighed. "I was trying to encourage him to participate in our investigations. He wants to leave, he said he didn't sign up for any of this and he wants to get back to his flower shop."

"Of course he does." Dean glanced at the closed door.

"If we had more help maybe we could have found those werewolves."

"You're an archangel, Aramintha, how much help would you need?"

"Noah is exceptionally good at tracking, he would have been a great help, trust me."

He nodded. "All right, understood." He turned and headed for his room, stopped and looked back at her. "That better be all, that argument better not of had anything to do with your new arrival."

She nodded and watched as he disappeared into his room. She sighed and turned away, opened Noah's door and entered the room.

"I don't want to talk about it, Min, go away."

"Noah, we have to talk about it. Michael is up to something, I know it. You don't think it's a huge coincidence that he showed up and then Linq arrived right after that?"

"Look, Michael has always been up to something, it's his nature to be a slippery creature." He wagged a trowel at her. "It's Dad's fault for treating him as if he were special. I don't care, we left Heaven for a reason, to get away from that psycho and be able to make our own choices. If he wants something let him find it on his own."

"Whatever he wants, he needs me back in Heaven to get it."

"Then don't go. Simple answer."

She sighed. "Noah ..."

"Do not Noah me, it isn't happening. Do not trust him, if you do not go back, he doesn't get what he wants."

"We both know that isn't how it works. When Michael wants something he usually gets it." She leaned back against the door and grinned at him.

He pointed the trowel at her. "No! No, Min, do not even think about it!"

"I say we give him what he wants."

"No! I just said no several times, why do you never listen to me? I asked you to stop Rum Running and you found something more dangerous to do, so no, no, and no. Stay away from Michael!"

"Sure, whatever you say." She turned and left the room.

"Aramintha!"

She ignored his shouts and pulled the door shut behind her. If she was going to find out what Michael was up to, she needed to be close to him. It wasn't going to sit well with anyone. So, she wouldn't tell them. She grinned and headed back toward the library. All she needed was the right opportunity. Hopefully, it would appear soon.